How a M3th & Cr4ck Addiction Had Me Facing 11 Years in Prison | Ep 125 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 29, 2026 · 57 MIN

How a M3th & Cr4ck Addiction Had Me Facing 11 Years in Prison | Ep 125

from Get a Grip Podcast · host Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes

In this unforgettable episode, Chad McClintock tells the raw and unfiltered story of living two completely opposite lives at the same time—serving as a firefighter and first responder while secretly trapped in a severe meth addiction. Chad’s journey begins in an abusive childhood filled with violence and instability, experiences that shaped his anger, survival instincts, and early decisions. As a teenager, that chaos followed him into the streets, where he began selling cocaine, eventually escalating to selling and using meth as addiction fully took hold.Despite having a family and a child who depended on him, Chad found himself unable to outrun meth. He opens up about the terrifying reality of “firefighting on meth,” responding to emergencies while high and risking not only his own life, but the lives of his crew and the public. One of the most haunting moments of his story is being the first responder to his own uncle’s death, a trauma that pushed his substance use even further out of control.As addiction deepened, Chad describes getting pulled over while eating six grams of meth, smoking crack, moving in with his dope dealer, and spiraling into increasingly reckless behavior. From smoking crack in a Walmart parking lot after his partner left, to losing everything and ending up connected to a homeless shelter, Chad paints a brutal picture of how fast addiction can dismantle a life—even one that looks respectable from the outside.Eventually, the consequences caught up. Facing 11 years over his head and later learning he was officially going to prison, Chad shares the fear, surrender, and realization that his life was either going to end behind bars or not at all. In a powerful reflection, he explains how prison—something he once feared more than anything—became the environment that finally forced him to confront himself and change.This episode is a brutally honest look at addiction, trauma, accountability, and redemption. Chad’s story is proof that addiction does not discriminate, and that even those tasked with saving lives can be silently drowning. If you want to understand the real cost of addiction—and the possibility of transformation when everything is on the line—this is an episode you don’t want to miss.⏱ TIMESTAMPS0:00 – Title of First Chapter00:01:00 Abusive childhood00:03:15 Beating up his stepdad00:07:00 Starting to sell c0caine00:09:15 Selling m3th & Firefighting on m3th00:12:00 First responding to his uncle’s death00:14:45 Getting pulled over while eating 6g of m3th00:16:15 Smoking cr4ck00:22:00 Moving in with the dope dealer00:25:00 Smoking cr4ck in a Walmart parking lot after theft00:29:00 Going to CBCF with 11 years over his head00:33:00 Taking a car and ending up at a homeless shelter00:36:30 Finding out he’s going to prison for 11 years00:39:00 How prison worked for him & final reflections🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: [email protected]👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this unforgettable episode, Chad McClintock tells the raw and unfiltered story of living two completely opposite lives at the same time—serving as a firefighter and first responder while secretly trapped in a severe meth addiction. Chad’s journey begins in an abusive childhood filled with violence and instability, experiences that shaped his anger, survival instincts, and early decisions. As a teenager, that chaos followed him into the streets, where he began selling cocaine, eventually escalating to selling and using meth as addiction fully took hold.Despite having a family and a child who depended on him, Chad found himself unable to outrun meth. He opens up about the terrifying reality of “firefighting on meth,” responding to emergencies while high and risking not only his own life, but the lives of his crew and the public. One of the most haunting moments of his story is being the first responder to his own uncle’s death, a trauma that pushed his substance use even further out of control.As addiction deepened, Chad describes getting pulled over while eating six grams of meth, smoking crack, moving in with his dope dealer, and spiraling into increasingly reckless behavior. From smoking crack in a Walmart parking lot after his partner left, to losing everything and ending up connected to a homeless shelter, Chad paints a brutal picture of how fast addiction can dismantle a life—even one that looks respectable from the outside.Eventually, the consequences caught up. Facing 11 years over his head and later learning he was officially going to prison, Chad shares the fear, surrender, and realization that his life was either going to end behind bars or not at all. In a powerful reflection, he explains how prison—something he once feared more than anything—became the environment that finally forced him to confront himself and change.This episode is a brutally honest look at addiction, trauma, accountability, and redemption. Chad’s story is proof that addiction does not discriminate, and that even those tasked with saving lives can be silently drowning. If you want to understand the real cost of addiction—and the possibility of transformation when everything is on the line—this is an episode you don’t want to miss.⏱ TIMESTAMPS0:00 – Title of First Chapter00:01:00 Abusive childhood00:03:15 Beating up his stepdad00:07:00 Starting to sell c0caine00:09:15 Selling m3th & Firefighting on m3th00:12:00 First responding to his uncle’s death00:14:45 Getting pulled over while eating 6g of m3th00:16:15 Smoking cr4ck00:22:00 Moving in with the dope dealer00:25:00 Smoking cr4ck in a Walmart parking lot after theft00:29:00 Going to CBCF with 11 years over his head00:33:00 Taking a car and ending up at a homeless shelter00:36:30 Finding out he’s going to prison for 11 years00:39:00 How prison worked for him & final reflections🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: [email protected]👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

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How a M3th & Cr4ck Addiction Had Me Facing 11 Years in Prison | Ep 125

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This episode was published on January 29, 2026.

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In this unforgettable episode, Chad McClintock tells the raw and unfiltered story of living two completely opposite lives at the same time—serving as a firefighter and first responder while secretly trapped in a severe meth addiction. Chad’s journey...

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